wfn.org | Easter Message 2003 Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem

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Easter Message 2003 Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem

Peace from God, the Father and creator of all mankind, and love and 
greetings from the city of the Resurrection, from Jerusalem.  My prayer for 
each and everyone of you is that you be empowered by the Spirit of the 
Risen Lord, and that the peace and joy that came from Him who defeated 
death by dying, Jesus Christ, the first risen from the dead, may be yours 
and your dear ones throughout the coming days and years.

Christians in many parts of our Global Village celebrate what they call 
Easter.  Reference is made in our church calendars to Easter Day, Easter 
Monday, Eastertide and the like.  Arab Christians in Jerusalem, in 
Palestine, in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the rest of the Arab 
countries refer to it as the Feast of the Resurrection.   Whereas some 
refer to the site of the crucifixion as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
we name it Kanisat Al-Qiyamah , the Church of the Resurrection.

It is neither the holiness of the Sepulchre, nor its emptiness that matters 
most in our faith!  It was, and is, and will be:  The Resurrection, the 
first Risen from the dead, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14 & 17 says

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your 
faith is in vain.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in 
your sins.

It is this faith in the Risen Lord, in the Resurrection that causes us, in 
these most trying and difficult times, to stand firm and never compromise 
our convictions in the ultimate victory of good, of justice, of love, of 
peace, of reconciliation, of joy and of life.

Though we, the Arab Palestinians at large, Christians in particular, are 
made to walk through the valley of death, in our little Via Dolorosa 
compared to what happened in Iraq in the last few weeks.  In spite of wars 
and rumours of wars, of the thousands and tens of thousands of those 
killed, injured in body and spirit, humiliated and turned homeless and made 
to share in the sufferings of our Lord, we endeavor to defeat hopelessness 
by sharing hope, and sharing life even in the midst of death.

Alleluia

He is not here!  He is Risen

Death, wars and the weapons of evildoers can never have the last word. Only 
the weapons of God, a just and lasting peace, will bring us all life.  Life 
in Him will have the last word and then we will be able to join Him and 
proclaim:  It is accomplished!	 Alleluia.

+ The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal

Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem